adjective
preposition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of touching
Explanation
Something that is touching affects you emotionally—it makes you feel sad or tender. A touching video about baby hedgehogs might even make your stoic older sister cry. The adjective touching comes from a particular meaning of the verb touch, "to affect or move mentally or emotionally," from the idea that something has "touched" your mind or heart. Your book report might describe the story you read as touching if it left you wiping away a tear.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, cite a touching story to show how Bob loved his kids.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Another tap-in birdie on the par-five 16th put more daylight between him and the pack, before a putt from the other end of the measuring stick put victory within touching distance.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
These are paired with the organic wooden sculptures of Claudia Comte, the curvaceous surfaces of which echo the lively plants of Matisse’s cut-outs, and touching bronzes by Geles Cabrera.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Shrinking it more aggressively could tighten financial conditions without touching rates, giving him a tool to satisfy the inflation-focused hawks while preserving the option to cut rates later.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
She reached out, brushing it away, then touching his cheek with the tips of her fingers.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
